Best Lamb Loin Chops With Warm Polenta And Arugula Salad Recipes

WARM SHREDDED LAMB SALAD WITH MINT AND POMEGRANATE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• On the stovetop, brown the lamp, fat-side down, in a large roasting pan. Remove when nicely browned across its middle (you won't get much more than this) and set aside while you fry the shallots, garlic and carrot briefly. Just tip them into the pan - you won't need to add any more fat - and cook them, sprinkled with the salt, gently for a couple of minutes. Pour the water over and then replace the lamb, this time fat side up. Let the liquid in the pan come to a boil, then tent with foil and put in the preheated oven.
• Now just leave it there while you sleep. I find that if I put the lamb in before I go to bed, it's perfect by lunchtime the next day. But the point is, at this temperature, nothing's going to go wrong with the lamb if you cook it for a little less or a little more.
• If you want to cook the lamb the day you're going to eat it, heat the oven to 325 degrees F and give it 5 hours or so. The point is to find a way of cooking that suits you: you know what sort of pottering relaxes you and what makes you feel constrained; how much time you've got, and how you want to use it. Don't let the food, the kitchen or the imagined expectations of other people bully you.
• With the homily over, about 1 hour before you want to eat, remove the lamb from the pan to a large plate or carving board - not that it needs carving; the deal here is that it's unfashionably overcooked, falling to tender shreds a the touch of a fork. This is the best way to deal with shoulder of lamb: it's cheaper than leg, and the flavor it deeper, better, truer, but even good carvers, which I most definitely am not, can get unstuck trying to slice it.
• To finish the lamb salad, simply pull it into pieces with a couple of forks on a large plate. Sprinkle with more sea salt and some freshly chopped mint, then cut the pomegranate in 1/2 and dot with the seeds from 1 of the halves. This is easily done; there's a simple trick, which means you never have to think of winkling out the jeweled pips with a safety pin ever again. Simply hold the pomegranate 1/2 above the plate, take a wooden spoon and start bashing the curved skin side with it. Nothing will happen for a few seconds, but have faith. In a short while the glassy red, juicy beads will start raining down.
• Take the other 1/2 and squeeze the preposterously pink juices over the warm shredded meat. Take to the table and serve.
• What I do with the leftovers is warm a pita bread in the microwave, and then spread it with a greedy dollop of hummus, then take the chill off the refrigerated lamb in the microwave and stuff the already gooey pita with it. Add freshly chopped mint, black pepper and whatever else you like; raw, finely chopped red onion goes dangerously well.

PEPPER CRUSTED LAMB LOIN, BABY ARUGULA, ROASTED PINE NUT POLENTA AND WHITE TRUFFLE TOMATO DEMI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Marinate lamb for several hours in the olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Heat an ovenproof saute pan over medium high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil from the marinade. Sear the meat on all sides. Cook until just shy of medium rare with an internal temperature of 107 degrees F.
• To make the sauce, add shallots to a small pot over medium heat with the white truffle oil. Stir until shallots begin to brown. Add tomato juice and reduce by half. Add lamb stock and reduce by 1/2. Lamb stock: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Put trimmings and meat in a shallow roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes, or until browned. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Add the trimmings and meat to the water and reduce heat to medium. When the water comes back to a boil, skim frequently until the scum stops rising, then add the remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered for at least 6 hours. Add additional water if the stock falls below the level of the ingredients. Strain and discard the solids. Let the stock cool to room temperature then refrigerate. Remove and discard the congealed fat layer from the top. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To keep longer, bring to a boil every 3 days. Polenta: Place the pine nuts on a sheet pan and roast in a 350 degree oven until brown. Remove from pan and roughly chop in a food processor and set aside. Bring the milk to a boil in a small pot. Add the polenta to the milk stirring constantly. Add the pine nuts and season with salt ands pepper. Pour polenta into a 2-inch half pan and cool. When cool use a 3-inch circular cutter to portion the polenta.

WARM ARUGULA VICHYSSOIS

Steps:

• Heat a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the leeks and salt and cook, stirring often, until the leeks are very soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Cook for an additional 2 minutes to let the flavors marry. Stir in the chicken broth and pepper flakes. Add the cheese rind and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the arugula and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and discard the cheese rind.
• Add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and the lemon juice. Using a handheld blender, puree until completely smooth. Ladle into bowls or cups and top evenly with the mascarpone.

LAMB CHOPS WITH FENNEL, ARUGULA, RED ONION AND BLACK OLIVE SALAD

Steps:

• For the lamb chops: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine the rosemary, garlic, crushed red pepper and lemon zest in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to the mix. Reserve.
• Remove 2 rib bones from each rack of lamb and cut the remaining racks into 6 equal, thicker chops (instead of 8 thinner chops).
• Sprinkle the lamb chops with salt and reserve at room temperature. Brush both sides of the chops with the rosemary mixture.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the lamb chops on all sides, including the fat edge. (Remember: Brown food tastes good! If your pan gets too hot, lower the heat. Ditch the oil in between the batches and start off with fresh oil. It is really important not to crowd the pan while browning the chops. If the pan is crowded, the chops will steam instead of browning and getting crispy.) When all the chops are browned, arrange them neatly on a sheet tray (with sides, you don't want any juices or fat to run off). Brush the browned chops with the rosemary mixture. Roast the chops for 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare, 12 to 15 minutes for medium.
• For the salad: Meanwhile, toss together the fennel, arugula, radicchio, red onion and olives with the olive oil, lemon juice and a generous sprinkle of salt in a large bowl. Taste to make sure it is delicious. Arrange the salad on a large serving platter and top the salad with the hot lamb chops to wilt the salad a little bit. Brush the chops with any remaining rosemary oil and drizzle any juice from the baking sheet over the lamb.
• Chop chop!